Andor: If your really interested you might look into the Muntz Polynomial theorems. They provide a way to approximate L2 waveforms. Resolving the equations would allow an almost arbitrary exponential basis, with the coefficients determined by sampled points. I also have some papers on irregular sampling around if your interested. My goal was determining "sampling" points for spectral analysis of IR absorbtions so it doesn't actually match up with this discussion smoothly. Sorry for the side issue, but I really think the Muntz theorems are neat and underutilized.
Ray